Plans for a new detoxification center in the Pikes Peak region appeared to be crumbling Tuesday evening after the city’s two hospital systems failed to meet a deadline in pledging their financial support.

That means the dangerously or chronically drunk have no place to go but to emergency rooms because the area’s former detox center closed in February. It could also jeopardize $800,000 in state funding that historically has gone to detox but is based on how many patients are served, according to county officials.

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said Tuesday that he authorized construction to begin on a new detention center without incorporating 40 detox beds, as had been planned.

Although Memorial Health System and Penrose-St. Francis Health Services have said they are willing to contribute $570,000 annually to help run a detox center, those commitments had not been made official by Tuesday evening. Maketa said he could no longer delay construction of the detention center.

In a prepared statement released at 5 p.m. Tuesday, hospital officials said they had asked their boards for the requested amounts. If those approvals come quickly enough, there might be a chance to salvage the deal.

Maketa came up with the proposal as a way to save construction costs; the detention center was already planned, and it wouldn’t have cost much more to add the detox beds.

The detox facility could also take advantage of public-safety resources such as the detention center’s medical staff and security.

On Tuesday, Maketa criticized hospital officials for poor communication and foot-dragging that wasted a good opportunity.

“My question to both CEOs is, why have they jerked this around? I gave them a letter asking for their cooperation two weeks ago,” he said.

In the joint statement, the hospitals said key details and specific dollar amounts were not presented until May 8.

“As good stewards of our resources and good business leaders, Memorial and Penrose-St. Francis needed time to look over the project and discuss the requested amounts,” the statement said.

But Maketa said he’s been given the runaround, with Memorial originally telling him it would have an answer by the end of the month and Penrose CEO Margaret Sabin offering $100,000 instead of $170,000 as late as Tuesday.

“It’s been enlightening, the level of lack of courtesy, the disarray, the lack of communication in dealing with these two entities,” he said.

He also said that every day the county goes without a detox facility is another day lost at accessing state funding that is based on contact with patients needing detoxification services.

The region’s only detox program, The Lighthouse, closed in February after Pikes Peak Mental Health said it could no longer afford to run it.

Without a detox center, emergency rooms become the fallback for treating the chronically and dangerously drunk – a costly option that also takes medical staff away from other patients.

Maketa’s plan showed the most promise, because finding a site and providing for security and medical plans are among the biggest challenges in starting a center.

Memorial was asked to contribute $400,000 and Penrose $170,000, roughly the amounts they contributed to The Lighthouse.